1 Then Yeshua left that place and went into the regions of Y’hudah and the territory beyond the Yarden. Again crowds gathered around him; and again, as usual, he taught them.
2 SomeP’rushimcame up and tried to trap him by asking him, “Does theTorahpermit a man to divorce his wife?”
3 He replied, “What did Moshe command you?”
4 They said, “Moshe allowed a man to hand his wife agetand divorce her.”
5 But Yeshua said to them, “He wrote this commandment for you because of your hardheartedness.
6 However, at the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.
7 For this reason, a man should leave his father and mother and be united with his wife,
8 and the two are to become one flesh. Thus they are no longer two, but one.
9 So then, no one should break apart what God has joined together.”
10 When they were indoors once more, thetalmidimasked him about this.
11 He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against his wife;
12 and if a wife divorces her husband and marries another man, she too commits adultery.”
13 People were bringing children to him so that he might touch them, but thetalmidimrebuked those people.
14 However, when Yeshua saw it, he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me, don’t stop them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
15 Yes! I tell you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it!”
16 And he took them in his arms, laid his hands on them, and made ab’rakhahover them.
17 As he was starting on his way, a man ran up, kneeled down in front of him and asked, “Good rabbi, what should I do to obtain eternal life?”
18 Yeshua said to him, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good except God!
19 You know themitzvot— ‘Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t give false testimony, don’t defraud, honor your father and mother, . . .’”
20 “Rabbi,” he said, “I have kept all these since I was a boy.”
21 Yeshua, looking at him, felt love for him and said to him, “You’re missing one thing. Go, sell whatever you own, give to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come, follow me!”
22 Shocked by this word, he went away sad; because he was a wealthy man.
23 Yeshua looked around and said to histalmidim, “How hard it is going to be for people with wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!”
24 Thetalmidimwere astounded at these words; but Yeshua said to them again, “My friends, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!
25 It’s easier for a camel to pass through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.”
26 They were utterly amazed and said to him, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Yeshua looked at them and said, “Humanly, it is impossible, but not with God; with God, everything is possible.”
28 Kefa began saying to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”
29 Yeshua said, “Yes! I tell you that there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the Good News,
30 who will not receive a hundred times over, now, in the‘olam hazeh, homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and lands — with persecutions! — and in the‘olam haba, eternal life.
31 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first!”
32 They were on the road going up to Yerushalayim. Yeshua was walking ahead of them, and they were amazed — and those following were afraid. So again taking the Twelve along with him, he began telling them what was about to happen to him.
33 “We are now going up to Yerushalayim, where the Son of Man will be handed over to the headcohanimand theTorah-teachers. They will sentence him to death and turn him over to theGoyim,
34 who will jeer at him, spit on him, beat him and kill him; but after three days, he will rise.”
35 Ya‘akov and Yochanan, the sons of Zavdai, came up to him and said, “Rabbi, we would like you to do us a favor.”
36 He said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?”
37 They replied, “When you are in your glory, let us sit with you, one on your right and the other on your left.”
38 But Yeshua answered, “You don’t know what you’re asking! Can you drink the cup that I am drinking? or be immersed with the immersion that I must undergo?”
39 They said to him, “We can.” Yeshua replied, “The cup that I am drinking, you will drink; and the immersion I am being immersed with, you will undergo.
40 But to sit on my right and on my left is not mine to give. Rather, it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
41 When the other ten heard about this, they became outraged at Ya‘akov and Yochanan.
42 But Yeshua called them to him and said to them, “You know that among theGoyim, those who are supposed to rule them become tyrants, and their superiors become dictators.
43 But among you, it must not be like that! On the contrary, whoever among you wants to be a leader must be your servant;
44 and whoever wants to be first among you must become everyone’s slave!
45 For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve — and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
46 They came to Yericho; and as Yeshua was leaving Yericho with histalmidimand a great crowd, a blind beggar, Bar-Timai (son of Timai), was sitting by the side of the road.
47 When he heard that it was Yeshua from Natzeret, he started shouting, “Yeshua! Son of David! Have pity on me!”
48 Many people scolded him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the louder, “Son of David! Have pity on me!”
49 Yeshua stopped and said, “Call him over!” They called to the blind man, “Courage! Get up! He’s calling for you!”
50 Throwing down his blanket, he jumped up and came over to Yeshua.
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” asked Yeshua. The blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me be able to see again.”
52 Yeshua said to him, “Go! Your trust has healed you.” Instantly he received his sight and followed him on the road.